MURRAY: Public should know the real King, Obama

FILE - In this combination of file photos, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speaks at a peace rally in New York on April 15, 1967, left, and President Barack Obama speaks at an election night party in Chicago after winning a second term in office on Nov. 7, 2012. Inauguration Day coincides with the King holiday, marking what some say is an inextricable tie between the nation's first black president and the civil rights movement. Obama plans to incorporate the legacy of that movement into his inauguration. (AP Photo, File)

Today marks only the eighth time in the history of our country that a president is to publicly take the oath of office on a Monday. It is also the second time a president has publicly been sworn in on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federally-observed holiday. Those facts make for interesting trivia, but while the two men will dominate the day, there are some perspectives we should take note of.

Now for all you haters out there, let us be clear: Bill Clinton was not the first black president; neither is Barack Hussein Obama. Yes, Clinton had some degree of “soul” about him, and he was the first president to be sworn in on MLK Day. Obama is only partly black, and blacks have no issue with claiming him, partly in recognition of the infamous “one drop” rule. To the best of my knowledge, there has been no similarly strong embrace from any other ethnic group. However, the word on the street is that, again, both his racial parts will be sworn in simultaneously.

This time, however, it is really historic. For the second time in a row, a majority of citizens have elected a bi-racial candidate. We were told by some that the world would come to an end if this half-black man got into the “White House.” Didn’t happen. The public was inundated with dire predictions regarding every aspect of life on earth as reflected by the rumors that Obama’s white side was really the Anti-Christ. Well, the rapture is still out there and the paint is still the same at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

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Can you imagine what King would be say about today’s USA? Could Obama have hoped to be a “change” agent in the 60’s? Obama’s election was supposed to be proof-positive that MLK’s dream of a post-racial America had been realized. For millions of Americans, that dream has turned into a sophisticated nightmare.

It is ironic when one considers that Obama will be re-sworn in on a day that honors a person who was once considered America’s most dangerous subversive. If any of you take the time to actually read MLK’s writings, or to listen to other of his public statements besides the preferred “I Have A Dream” speech, you may come to a different conclusion regarding a true radical who many now consider to be a universal, docile, feel-good, we are the world, non-racial kind of guy. Today, King would be called divisive, a racist, and an inflammatory figure. Timing is everything.

King’s life-long vision of world peace started with a bus ride protest and ended with fight for equal rights for black Memphis sanitation workers. It is a tragedy that those who understand the fundraising potential of a meeker King have succeeded in morphing his primary advocacy into a less threatening, politically palatable, less offensive, and revenue-generating reverse-engineered American icon.

Meeting, greeting, eating, and then safely retreating for another 364 days is not the way to honor King’s work. The rapidly changing demographics in Macomb County will demand our civic leaders genuinely address uncomfortable issues head on (such as crime, resource allocation, public services, education, community morality, etc. ), rather than counting on them to work themselves out on their own. Heavy lifting from our elected officials will be required as well. Holding hands and singing songs just won’t cut it anymore.

Gregory A. Murray is a community activist who lives in Clinton Township. He can be reached at gahmurray@gmail.com.